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State

Our take on this bill:

As the bill pertains to drug policy and privacy: The ACLU of Ohio is particularly concerned about a specific provision in the mid-biennial review budget that would authorize a pilot drug program. This program would test applicants seeking public assistance through Ohio Works First, a program which aids nearly 175,000 Ohioans, for drugs at the individual’s expense. This would be a massive expansion of the government’s power in the lives of Ohio’s poorest citizens, raising serious Fourth Amendment concerns.

As the bill pertains to national security: With the enactment of SB 9 in 2006, Ohio law mandated people had to certify they had not provided any “material assistance” to any organization listed on the U.S. Department of State Terrorist Exclusion List in order to obtain various licenses, do business with or be employed by state and local governments. These provisions were not only unnecessary, they were eerily reminiscent of McCarthy-era tactics that ruined lives during the 1950s and raised significant due process concerns. With the passage of HB 487, these sections of Ohio law were repealed.